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After Rayleigh had rejected him, even after he offered him money and revealed information about his commander's son, Luca realized that his cards had burned.
Rayleigh didn't want trouble, not now, not later.
Luca stood in place for a few seconds, thinking.
He had nothing honest left to offer.
Only one option remained. One he wanted to avoid.
Lying.
Luca didn't like this option, but he was ready for it.
If inventing a story was the only way to convince Rayleigh to train him, he wouldn't hesitate. He would do anything for his goal.
He turned to him again, having made his decision.
This time, he wouldn't ask for money, nor threaten him with the future…
He would tell a dream.
Luca paused for a moment, then said in a low but firm voice:
"Joy Boy…"
Rayleigh froze in place. His eyes widened for a moment, as if time itself had stopped around him.
He hadn't expected to hear that name from the mouth of a small boy.
Luca seized the shock and continued without hesitation:
"I dreamed I was fighting with him… but my strength is weak."
"And I don't feel this is a simple dream because it's thanks to this dream that I got my fruit."
Rayleigh remained silent, truly stunned. The name Joy Boy, the dream, the battle… everything struck his heart in a way he hadn't felt in a long time.
Luca felt the opportunity and continued:
"I know this sounds strange… but this dream always follows me. I want to become stronger… and this dream pushes me to gain greater power."
Rayleigh stayed silent, looking at him directly, and that gaze was enough to say: This time, it's different.
Luca did not move, standing there, watching the silence that filled the space.
He knew his words had not gone unnoticed, and the shock that had hit Rayleigh was real.
The long silence didn't break anything, but it made every second heavy.
Luca felt that this moment alone had opened a small door, and if it weren't a lie, he would have felt closer to something greater… something important.
He had no choice but to wait for what Rayleigh would say after all this.
After a few moments, Rayleigh finally spoke in a low but serious voice:
"And what happened in the battle… were you able to finish it?"
Luca took a slow breath, his eyes fixed on the ground before lifting his gaze:
"No… I couldn't finish that journey. In the dream… I die in Elbaf before everything reaches its end. Always the same dream but I can't complete the journey."
His voice was steady, without hesitation, yet inside him was a feeling of emptiness and helplessness.
Rayleigh remained silent, his astonishment greater this time, for he hadn't expected to see a small boy carrying the burden of a dream like this… suffering continuously every time he woke up.
The long silence that followed was not just standing… but a silent appreciation of the inner strength Luca carried despite repeated failures.
Luca felt the weight of the words leaving his mouth, but he knew this lie might be what would bring him closer to getting the training he needed.
Rayleigh slowly gazed at Luca, his eyes full of astonishment and suspicion:
"Why… you specifically… came to ask me for training?"
Luca gave a short smile, then replied with quiet confidence:
"In glimpses of the dream… I saw myself training under you, and I feel that your strength… is what will make me stronger."
Rayleigh remained silent, and this time the silence was different, heavier.
It wasn't just thinking, but a sharp assessment of every word, every tone.
Luca continued, his voice low but firm:
"This dream always follows me… and every time I die in Elbaf, I feel the only way to continue my journey is to learn from you."
Rayleigh stared at the boy in long silence, then nodded slightly, as if something inside him had begun to move.
The silence was not a refusal this time… but a precise observation, a reserved interest, as if something in the dream made him reconsider the boy in front of him.
After a few moments, Rayleigh finally said, in a low but sharp voice:
"This… Joy Boy… who exactly is he?"
Luca smiled slightly, as if the answer had been waiting for him all along:
"Monkey D. Luffy…"
Rayleigh froze for a moment, his eyes widening, and an old memory passed through his mind…
Years ago, Shanks had told him about that small child who left his straw hat with him, and the obvious resemblance to their captain Roger.
The name alone brought back the image of Shanks talking about that child with excitement.
But he didn't utter a word, simply staring at Luca steadily, as if that name alone carried all the weight of what he had seen and heard so far.
Luca felt a slight tension, but he knew that this moment, this word, might make Rayleigh reconsider training him… and that the path to learning had just begun.
Rayleigh looked at Luca again, silent, his eyes not leaving him.
He had seen in those words, in that dream, something he hadn't expected from a small boy.
Then he finally spoke, deeper this time, with the harshness of responsibility and calm power:
"If the dream is guiding you to me… and if it carries all this weight in your heart… then perhaps… it is my duty to show you the way."
Luca felt a surge of joy that Rayleigh believed his lie, but he remained calm.
He knew the words were not a full promise yet, but they were a strong signal that Rayleigh saw in him something worth training.
Rayleigh continued, his voice more firm:
"It won't be easy. Whoever wants to become strong must face the truth… and confront themselves first. But if you are honest… and able to endure… I will teach you what you need."
Luca nodded slightly, his voice low but full of determination:
"I will do anything… to prove I deserve it."
Rayleigh looked at him one last time, as if his gaze weighed every moment:
"Very well… let's begin then. Whoever wants power must start with a true challenge. And I will be there to see if you deserve it."
Luca stood before Rayleigh, feeling a hidden tension in his chest.
Rayleigh looked at him with steady eyes, then said in a low but powerful voice:
"Let's see how strong your will is…"
He focused his gaze on Luca, letting what was inside him emerge—the overwhelming energy he revealed only in the rarest moments… the Conqueror's Haki.
A wave of psychological pressure seeped into Luca's mind, heavy as if it pressed down on every cell of his body.
Every feeling of determination, every thought of strength, every moment of courage, was put to a direct test.
Luca felt as if his mind was about to explode, as if a power unknown in magnitude tried to turn the world around him upside down.
Despite the pain and immense pressure, he did not collapse.
On the contrary, something within him awakened, something buried for years… a feeling of pure strength and absolute ability to exist.
And slowly, with every second of this pressure, Luca felt something strange yet incredible, as if he were about to erupt.
Luca smiled widely, not an ordinary smile… but the smile of someone discovering a power within him he never believed he had.
The pressure Rayleigh had tried to test became a spark inside him, and Luca unleashed his own Haki, a powerful, radiant force, making the air around him tremble.
Rayleigh stepped back slightly, his eyes widened, and a broad smile spread across his lips.
"This is expected from you, boy, and this is the minimum to enter the great battles."
Luca felt joy, a new kind of joy.
It wasn't just a feeling of power, but a feeling of self-verification, a sense that his dream, all he had strived for, was not just an illusion… but a reality buried inside him, waiting for the right moment to erupt.
Because he knew that fighting the great figures would rely on Conqueror's Haki: Kaido, Big Mom, Shanks, the Holy Knights, and more all rely on enveloping Haki—it is the foundation for harming one another.
Although Luca possessed the strongest offensive Devil Fruit in the world, the Conqueror's Haki is extremely important.
Shakky, who was inside the tavern, also felt the tremor.
She smiled broadly, her eyes sparkling, and her spirit trembled with a strange feeling…
She could feel every particle of Luca's will, every ounce of his Haki, as if she herself were interacting with the explosion the boy unleashed.
"No… I can't believe it… he has that type of Haki…" she whispered to herself, astonished.
Luca, despite all the pressure, remained standing, feeling every part of him breathe freely.
The Conqueror's Haki inside him was not just a power, but a mark of his will and determination, of his uniqueness, and that he was capable of facing the upcoming challenges.
Luca smiled to himself; this moment was the true turning point.
He was no longer just a boy asking for training, but someone who knew his power, knew he had the ability to face anything, and his dream was no longer far… it was closer than ever.
Rayleigh stood before Luca, his eyes studying him deeply, as if every word and action were keys to measuring his true strength. After a moment of silence, he broke it in a calm yet sharp voice:
"Alright… I've felt your will… but that's not enough. I want to know everything about you, your abilities… everything that can make you a true fighter."
Luca took a deep breath, realizing this was the moment of full honesty, and now under Rayleigh's gaze, there was no room for lies or manipulation.
"I… possess a Logia fruit…" he began in a low voice, then lifted his eyes to Rayleigh with confidence, "The Thunder Fruit."
Rayleigh froze for a moment, his eyes widening in undeniable astonishment.
"Thunder…" he whispered, his voice filled with respect mixed with awe. "This is not just a power… this is a very dangerous fruit, one of the strongest powers anyone can possess, if not the strongest… anyone who wields it, even a glimpse of its strength, can change the course of a battle completely…"
Luca felt Rayleigh's shock, but he didn't stop. He continued with more confidence:
"And I don't just have that… I was born with the ability of telekinesis… I can control the world around me with my mind."
Rayleigh swallowed, his eyes shining intensely, and it was clear his heart was pounding with excitement.
"Telekinesis… that… that's madness!" he said with a sharp smile, as if his mind began imagining the possibilities.
Rayleigh stepped closer, watching Luca with eyes shining with the passion of a teacher seeing a rare talent.
"If you can master all of this… Thunder… and telekinesis… I will make you something the world has never seen before. I will sculpt you, push you to become a monster… not just a fighter, but a power no one can underestimate, a power that can change the course of any war…"
Luca felt a chill mixed with excitement. For the first time, he felt that someone truly understood him, and the potential he had always hidden, which had always made him different, was not rejected or feared… but awakened to become a true weapon.
"I will teach you everything, Luca…" Rayleigh continued in a low yet firm voice, "I will show you how to become a true monster, not only through the terror your fruit carries, but through the power your mind and will can unleash to change your destiny and the fate of this world…"
Luca felt an inner exhilaration, a mixture of joy and fear, but he knew this was the real moment where his path to becoming stronger truly began. A feeling that all his upcoming training, all his challenges, would lead him to become an extraordinary force, and that the person before him, Rayleigh, would leave no opportunity wasted.
Rayleigh gave a rare smile, his voice firmer:
"Alright… Luca, get ready. Because what comes next… will not be just training… it will be the birth of a true monster."
Luca felt his heart tremble, but this time it was not
fear… it was a feeling of victory, liberation, and being closer than ever to becoming what he had dreamed of since the first moment his feet stepped into the world of pirates.